One of the first college football games I ever went to was Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (better known as FAMU) against the University of Miami. The game was played at the late Orange Bowl, a stadium rich in history itself.
Despite the Canes absolutely dominating (I think it was 45-3 at half), the thing I remember most from that game was FAMU’s band. I was 13 or 14 years old and a huge football fan, but I remember the band. The band?! Yes, the band.
FAMU does not have a very good football program, but their band is known far and wide as one of the most entertaining and unique in the business. They made history in the 70s when they appeared in a Welch’s Grape Soda TV spot, becoming the first primarily African American band to make a major commercial.
At the game I attended they played their halftime show without microphones and knocked fans out of their seats…despite their team being down six touchdowns at half.
FAMU doesn’t make our list, but they are emblematic of what a college sports tradition is: maybe your team doesn’t have the best record or the widest national attention, but it isn’t about that; it’s about becoming a part of history…
Below are 13 of the coolest, wackiest, time-lasting traditions in college sports.
University of Hawaii – The Haka
The University of Hawaii football team (the Warriors) adopted a traditional New Zealand dance called the haka into a pregame ritual. The dance itself has multiple variations and depend upon geographical origin as well as intent .
The Warriors perform their own variations to get pumped for games and have been doing so since a very successful 2006 season.
Harvard University – The Little Red Flag
Photo via Men of the Ivy League
This tradition may not sound as cool as the Warriors’ Haka, but the Little Red Flag has history for days…er, years. Essentially, the biggest Harvard football fan back in 1884 made a flag to cheer on his team.
That flag is now in a secret location and, apparently, only three people know where. A modern version of the flag is now in the possession of its current holder, 95-year-old Dick Bennink. The tradition of the holder is to bring it to every home game and wave it after each score.
Stanford University – Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band
Also known as “the World’s Largest Rock and Roll Band,” the Stanford Band is perhaps college football’s most infamous band. They do not march, they do not wear uniforms…but they do have a song on iTunes.
Their unorthodox style is revealed in the video above. They were the band that was “OUT ON THE FIELD!” during “The Play,” which is likely their most memorable and infamous moment…though they have done their fair share to challenge that since.
University of Tennessee – Running Through the T
For the University of Tennessee’s tradition of running through the T, I will pass it off to Uloop’s Director of Student News, Karl Hughes, who is a UT alum:
There are two things that are absolutely unique about going to college in the Southeast. One is football, and the other is tradition. The pregame football ritual (including running through the T) is both of those at the University of Tennessee.
As the band lines up and does its pregame show, you can feel the energy level rise in that 100,000+ person stadium. When it all culminates in the whole team running through the T, there is a sudden rush of emotion and timelessness that is unlike anything else I have ever experienced. I think that traditions in football are a way to connect generations of students, alumni, players, and fans. You know that no matter how long you wait to go back to a UT football game, you’ll still feel right at home when your guys run through that formation on the field. That tradition is timeless; it doesn’t change when our record sucks or when we’re winning every game, and I certainly can’t imagine going to a game without it.
The Army/Navy Annual Game
Photo by West Point – The U.S. Military Academy on flickr.com
Played since 1890, the Army/Navy game is a spectacle. Just look at the picture above of the cadets standing at attention in perfect formation before game time…very different than the Stanford Band (goes to show you great traditions come in all shapes and sizes).
Navy has now won the annual match-up 11 years in a row and lead the series 57–49–7.
Florida State University – Chief Osceola Spearing Midfield
The FSU tradition of Chief Osceola and his horse Renegade planting a burning spear into the field at the 50-yard line is pretty self-explanatory. If the image of a horse running across a field with a man holding a burning spear doesn’t get you jacked up, I don’t know what will.
Seminole majorette Megan Triscari is always close to the action. “Our pregame is the coolest thing ever,” she said. “Last year there was a competition to see what school had the best pregame tradition based on votes from fans…and we won. It’s been done the exact same way since the 80s. It’s so intense. Having a real horse and man makes the fans get so hype.”
There indeed was a tradition competition sponsored by SportsNation and EA Sports in 2011 that culminated in Michigan vs. FSU in the final round of the bracket. The competition was based on voting from fans and, in the end, FSU took home the title.
Clemson University – Howard’s Rock/Running the Hill
It’s like the red carpet…but for college football.
Colorado University – Ralphie’s Run
If you were excited by FSU’s Renegade, check out Colorado University’s live buffalo mascot named Ralphie. Before every home game, Ralphie leads the entrance of the football team out onto the field and his wranglers do their very best to contain him/keep up with him.
This tradition started in 1934, but the first “Ralphie” didn’t arrive until 1966. There have been five incarnations. Something most people don’t know? All Ralphies have been female bison because they are smaller and less aggressive.
University of Miami – Smoke Entrance
For the subject of UM traditions, I will employ the help of my friend and UM senior Vijay Bajnath:
The older traditions that we celebrate are of course running out of the tunnel through smoke which is amazing, holding up four fingers at the start of the fourth quarter (signifying the game is won in the fourth) and the C-A-N-E-S chant. I would definitely say running out of the smoke is something that past players describe as being unique and gives them no better feeling.
According to UM’s website regarding their traditions, “The traditional Hurricane ‘smoke’ entrance in the Orange Bowl began in the 1950s. In an attempt to increase fan interest, UM transportation director Bob Nalette came up with the idea of using fire extinguishers to produce the now-famous smoke that Hurricanes run through as they enter the field.” The Orange Bowl is sadly gone, but the smoke remains.
Auburn University – War Eagle
The video says (and shows) it all. They have an actual eagle at their games. I asked Luke Inglis, one of my friends at Auburn, about the tradition:
I had always heard of the eagle flying around the stadium pregame at auburn but never saw it until my freshman year. Before the first game I thought the tradition was overrated and wasn’t going to do much for me; but the first time I saw the eagle released, that all changed. The eagle soared around the stadium with the whole crowd yelling WAR. Then when the eagle swooped down to get its toy prey and the crowd screamed EAGLE in unison I got goosebumps. To this day, four years later, it still has the same effect on me. Watching an Auburn football game without seeing the eagle first wouldn’t be the same; it would be a weird feeling.
University of Florida – The Gator Chomp
Photo by wtstoffs
Oliver Moll, a senior at UF, puts us in the middle of a home game at The Swamp:
Imagine 90,000+ fans doing the chomp in unison. Imagine trying to call out plays in the midst of such mayhem. Imagine having to convert a third-and-short against a defense that seems to thrive on the home crowd’s enthusiasm. The chomp is intimidating to opponents. It’s no wonder why The Swamp is consistently dubbed the most hostile environment to play in in college football.
Ohio State University – Band Spells “Ohio” in Script
The Script Ohio performance is an impressive feat of concentration and coordination on the part of the Ohio State band. Usually a senior sousaphone player dots the “i,” but on some special occasions non-band members have dotted the “i.” According to Ohio State’s official website, “Woody Hayes and Bob Hope are among the select few non-band members who have had the honor of dotting the “i.” This is considered the greatest honor the band can bestow to any non-band person and is an extremely special (and rare) event.”
The formation is modeled after the looped script design on the marquee sign of the Loew’s Ohio Theater in Columbus. It was first performed by the band in 1936.
University of Notre Dame – Irish Guard
Every member of the Irish guard must fulfill a set of requirements (including physical stipulations like 6 ft. 2 in. height, etc.) before even being considered. Only 10 are selected.
According to the Notre Dame Band’s official website, “Each football Saturday, the Band of the Fighting Irish is led onto the field for it’s traditional pregame salute by the celebrated Irish Guard. This group of precision marchers was formed in 1949 when then Director H. Lee Hope conceived the idea of adding color to the band while maintaining the dignity befitting the nation’s oldest university band.”
More than anything, the Irish Guard serve to increase lore and excitement during games.
Honorable Mentions:
Notre Dame – “Play like a champion today”
Utah St. – “I believe that we will win”